Dead Reckoning (25 page)

Expect to see me within a few months and expect to find me older and more nearly worn out. To be home again is the main thing and I am not much inclined to seek further service, certainly not on so distant a station. The time is near, I think, when I shall have had enough. With the French nearly driven from the Indian Ocean, prize-money is not to be looked for save in respect of captured frigates. We shall intercept no Spanish galleon between here and the Cape. So you must expect only a moderate fortune in the years to come, enough I hope for your needs but far less than you deserve. Within the confines of my modest means I shall do my best to make you happy and compensate you in some measure for these long years of
separation. Remember me to my friends in the Vale and believe me still

Your most affectionate husband,

Richard Delancey

Ten days later Delancey was summoned on board the
Boadicea
and found Commodore Rowley in an expansive mood.

“Well, Delancey,” he said, “my period as Commodore is coming to an end. Vice-Admiral Bertie will be here in a matter of weeks and I shall then be no more than captain of the
Boadicea.
”

“A famous captain, sir, of a famous ship.”

“It is good of you to say so. In the meanwhile I have my last chance to bestow a little patronage. Considering the
Laura
worn out, I should like you to have the French frigate
Minerve
of forty guns, assuming that she is taken when the island is ours, and I should like you to take your crew with you. She will be ordered to England, undoubtedly. I cannot assure you, in advance, that the Admiral will confirm this arrangement but I shall recommend it and tell him that you have been offered this new command and that the offer was made in recognition of your good service.”

“Thank you, sir. I am happy to accept.”

“It is just possible that the French will destroy their ships before they capitulate but that is not what I should expect. The
Minerve
is a fine frigate and little damaged. As a ship, she will do you credit.”

“I shall do my best to justify your choice.”

“I am very sure of that. It has also been my duty to find a commander for the sloop—I should have said the corvette—
Trompeuse,
recently taken by us and renamed
Nautilus.
She is to remain as guardship at the island of Bourbon and offers a vacancy
for a master and commander. I hope you will regard it as a compliment to you if I make out an acting appointment for Mr Northmore, of whom I know you think very highly.”

“I appreciate the compliment, sir, but wonder whether you have not overlooked the claims of your own officers?”

“No, I have other appointments to make and they have not been forgotten. I think Northmore deserves promotion, young as he may be, and you can tell him that the command is his. I do not think that the Admiral will cancel any acting appointments made before his arrival on the station.”

Delancey returned to his ship with conflicting emotions. To command a frigate of the largest class must be every captain's ambition. It was something he had never felt sure of achieving. He would be proud indeed to be captain of the
Minerve.
But what about losing Northmore? What about Topley as first lieutenant? There could of course be worse first lieutenants than Topley, a solid reliable man, but he lacked Northmore's vitality. He could do the work but he could not inspire others. The ordinary course of promotion would also make Ledingham an acting lieutenant, deservedly but a little too soon. Altogether, the ship he had been promised deserved better officers than she was likely to have. Cursing inwardly, he sent for Northmore and congratulated him on his promotion.

“I am glad to tell you that the Commodore wishes to offer you the command of the sloop
Nautilus,
a very good ship of her class, not more than three years old and said to be in very good state. I shall be sorry to lose you, Mr Northmore, but I would never stand in the way of a young officer's promotion provided that he is fit for it. I think myself that you will make an excellent captain and have a distinguished career ahead of you.”

“Thank you, sir, for your good opinion and for the recommendation
to which I owe this prospect of promotion. I am deeply indebted to you for bringing me forward in the service. Yours has been the example I have followed and from you I have learnt what little I know. I shall never forget your kindness and encouragement.”

“And I shall follow your career with continued interest.”

“There is, however, sir, a question I have to ask.”

“Well?”

“Where is the
Nautilus
to be stationed?”

“She is initially to serve as guardship at the island of Bourbon. I understand that the Governor there objects to the island being left without naval protection. So the Commodore has decided to detach the
Nautilus
for that purpose.”

There was a moment of silence and it was evident that North-more was trying to make a difficult decision. He finally made it and said:

“That being the case, sir, I beg to decline the appointment.”

Delancey looked at Northmore as if the young man had suddenly gone out of his mind.

“But you do realize what you are doing? The
Laura
will be broken up and I shall take her officers and crew to the
Minerve—
that is, after she has been taken. She will be paid off in England and you will have to seek another berth. There is no likelihood of your being offered promotion in the Channel Fleet or in the Mediterranean. You can have no certainty that you will even be first lieutenant—you may well find yourself third or fourth. There are many drawbacks about service in the East Indies, as you have discovered by now, but the advantage, if you survive, lies in the prospect of early promotion. All the smaller vessels here, and indeed several of the frigates, are commanded by officers holding acting rank. There is no such promotion at
Portsmouth except for officers with great interest. If you refuse this appointment you may wreck your entire career. Don't make a final decision now. Sleep on it and decide tomorrow.”

“You are very good to me, sir, but the truth is that I have decided already.”

“I have no words in which to express my astonishment. It seems to me that you are making a possibly fatal mistake.”

“You have good reason to think that. Please do not think me ungrateful.”

“No, I don't think that—not for a moment. But I should like to know why you are refusing so good an opportunity.”

“Well, sir, there is one thing more important to me than promotion—and that is survival.”

“I see what you mean . . .”

“I have watched, sir, while the original crew of this ship has dwindled to a handful, the gaps filled somehow by lascars, Chinese, Portuguese, and Malays. You point out, sir, that many of our ships on this station are commanded by officers who hold acting rank. What has happened to the captains originally appointed? A few are invalided but the rest are dead. If I remain on this station for another year or two I shall merely add my name to the list and make room for another acting commander. I want promotion, sir, as much as the next man but I want still more to stay alive. I'll accept the risk of being killed in action or even drowned but I would rather avoid death from hepatitis. In a word, sir, I want to go home.”

Delancey ended this interview with a great weight off his mind. He had done his duty in urging Northmore to accept promotion but his efforts, thank God, had failed. And who was to blame Northmore for wanting, first and foremost, a passage to England? It was above all things what he wanted himself.

T
HE INVASION fleet had assembled at Rodriguez, sailed from there on November 22nd, and was now on its way to Mauritius. Progress was slow, in light and often contrary winds, but, the sunlit scene was impressive. The sea was covered with ships as far as the eye could see. The men-of-war were in strict formation to windward, the
Illustrious
(74) in the centre, astern of the
Africaine
in which Vice-Admiral Bertie had hoisted his flag. There were eleven frigates in all, the
Laura
among them. To leeward a whole fleet of transports carried the army and had eight sloops as escort. Even the transports kept some semblance of formation and were held to it by a constant fluttering of signal flags and the occasional boom of cannon.

It was the day fixed for a conference of senior officers and boats were already lowered in anticipation of the next order. In, obedience to the first signal from the flagship, the
Illustrious
backed her topsails and dropped to the rear of the line. The second signal was for commanding officers, at which the calm sea was suddenly covered with boats, all heading for the
Illustrious.

On board that ship there was a tremendous twittering of pipes and manning the side as successive captains came on board. Captain Broughton received them in turn and his first lieutenant ushered them into the great cabin, furnished for the occasion with long tables covered in green baize. Pinned to the bulkheads were charts of Mauritius, plans of Port Louis, and an
enlarged sketch-map of Coin de Mire. Central to this array of expertise was a large blank sheet of cartridge paper. Near to this was Captain Philip Beaver of the
Nisus,
who had evidently been there before the signal was made. Resplendent in blue and gold, each with a glittering sword hilt, the captains greeted each other casually, each form of address reflecting the order of seniority. The flag lieutenant supervised the seating, ensuring that Caulfield should be on Beaver's right, and Broughton (as host) on his left.

Seated separately at a table facing the chair were seven army officers, adding a splash of colour in scarlet, black, and gold. They were led by Lt.-Colonels Fraser and Drummond, the others holding staff appointments as Brigade-Major or Adjutant. It was Broughton who called the meeting to order, assuming the chair but giving the place immediately to Captain Beaver, a hatchet-faced, parchment-coloured man with a pedantic manner, heavy eyebrows, and bitten fingernails. He plainly suffered from sleeplessness, overwork, and a recent touch of fever.

“You will be aware, gentlemen,” he began, “that there was a conference yesterday called by Vice-Admiral Bertie and Major-General Abercromby. It was attended by staff officers of either service and by civilian advisers with local knowledge. Unfortunately but unavoidably absent was Commodore Rowley, who is still on blockade duty off Port Louis with the
Andromeda, Nèrèide
and
Ceylon.
At that conference the Admiral and General, as joint commanders of the expedition, decided upon a plan for the conquest of Mauritius; a plan of which you will all receive copies at the close of this meeting. I was entrusted with the detailed execution of that plan and I am speaking now on behalf of the joint commanders—with all apologies to those who may be senior to me.”

Beaver paused at this moment, looking round the cabin from one face to another. Then he went on:

“I need hardly tell you that the plan is secret, to be revealed only to commissioned officers, and these to know only what they need to know. Now, first and foremost, the fleet is to rendezvous in the area marked with a red circle on Chart A” (he pointed to a chart) “between the Gunner's Quoin and Cape Malheureux. There is holding ground there in from twelve to twenty-seven fathoms. The beach on which the troops are to land is at Mapou Bay, between Cape Malheureux and Fort Malartic, the latter post being about four miles distant. One great merit of this landing-place is that it is well sheltered by adjacent reefs. Its main drawback is that our men-of-war—because of those sea reefs—cannot approach nearer than two miles. Assuming an opposed landing, our covering fire must be provided by guns and howitzers mounted in ships' launches. The landing will take place in daylight and I plan to have nearly all troops ashore by nightfall.”

“As from this point I propose to deal with the First Division, going on to deal with the rest. The First Division will comprise five frigates and will land 1,555 infantry, half of them of the 84th Regiment. The landing craft, flats and barges, will be organized in two wings, the right under Captain Briggs, the left under Captain Lye. These boats will be serially numbered from one to forty-seven in arabic numerals. The gunboats will be distributed so as to cover the landing, two in advance, three on each flank and two in reserve; these being numbered from one to ten in Roman numerals. Look now at Diagram I . . .”

At this point a junior lieutenant removed the blank paper, revealing the organization of the First Division.

“This diagram shows the order in which the boats are to
approach the beach. Now, I must insist, from the outset, that this order must be correctly formed and rigorously maintained. Should any of the boats be out of position, the units landed will be disorganized and unable to advance as planned. I can assure you—and I speak from experience—that discipline is essential to success in an opposed landing . . .”